Probe finds Scots being ripped off by private parking firm fines

Russell Jackson

SCOTS motorists are being ripped off in private car parks after an investigation revealed that one-third of them breach consumer protection laws.

Drivers are being hit with unfair penalty charges of up to £100 for 'trivial' offences at car parks run by private firms.

Trading Standards officers carried out a probe into the operators following a wave of complaints against unscrupulous practices.

Following a series of spot checks across the country they found drivers have been hit with unenforceable penalty charges ranging from £15 to £100, while unclear signs leave drivers in the dark about what constitutes an offence.

When drivers pay for private parking, they enter into a contract with the provider and are protected by a range of laws aimed at ensuring fairness for consumers, no different to buying goods and services from shops on the ‘high street’.

Evidence of unfair penalties was also uncovered, including the case of one driver who paid the correct fee for parking, but was still fined £100 after they failed to type their vehicle registration correctly into the ticket machine.

Around half of car parks use automatic number-plate recognition technology to track vehicles, while some did not inform drivers that payment was required at all. The average fine levied on drivers was £75.

Peter Adamson, chairman of the Society of Chief Officers of Trading Standards in Scotland (SCOTSS), said: "The main problems we found were inadequate signage and ticket machines that were difficult to use or malfunctioning.

"We also found evidence of unfair application of penalty charges, for example a £100 charge for a very minor mistake by a driver, who paid the correct fee for parking but failed to type their vehicle registration correctly into the ticket machine.”

He added: "Private car parking is a legitimate business activity. High demand parking space in our towns and cities must be managed and consumers cannot expect to park for free in these busy urban areas.

"However, at the same time consumers must be treated fairly. They must be given all the information they need to use a car park and must not be subject to unfair terms or practices.

"We want to see an improvement in standards and are working with the industry to achieve this across Scotland. We are working with Government, trade bodies and consumer bodies to improve the lot of Scotland’s drivers when utilising private parking and we would like to see a single Code of Practice developed which addresses these issues.